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In the final episode of our Loyalty Series, we sit down with citizenM’s former CEO and now another star CEO Lennert De Jong to unpack how a boutique hotel brand reinvented loyalty as a product rather than a points program. The result was a paid subscription model, guaranteed room availability, and a bold brand IP sale to Marriott, all of which reshaped citizenM’s growth, distribution strategy, and guest experience without diluting its identity.

Lennert takes us back to the company’s early stance against traditional loyalty models and the forces that pushed a rethink: OTA pressure, the strength of U.S. direct-booking behavior, and the need for scale to protect rate integrity. Out of that emerged mycitizenM+, a simple paid membership that delivers immediate, tangible perks most notably guaranteed rooms when travelers need them most. The psychology mirrors Amazon Prime: when guests pay to join, they default to the brand and return more often. We explore how citizenM measured success through customer lifetime value, switching behavior, and how benefits like coworking access and F&B discounts aligned perfectly with the brand’s living-room-centric design.

We also break down the strategic decision to sell the citizenM brand IP to Marriott, unlocking the demand engine of Bonvoy while allowing citizenM to remain its largest owner-operator. The partnership grants mycitizenM+ members instant Bonvoy Gold, an example of how smart alliances can outperform homegrown loyalty programs. Lennert offers clear advice for smaller hotel groups: skip building your own points-based system and align with a platform that can already move demand at scale.

The conversation then widens into the future of loyalty as a lifestyle platform where rewards expand beyond hotels into concerts, F1 races, and cultural moments and how AI is quietly transforming hotel operations. From bots processing virtual cards to automated OTA message handling, and the coming wave of agentic AI that anticipates guest needs, Lennert outlines a future where automation elevates hospitality rather than replaces it.

For more information about citizenM, please visit https://www.marriott.com/brands/citizenm.

👉 Listen to The Power of True Guest Loyalty in Scaling a Global Boutique Hotel Brand Now

🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoad

The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.

https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

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Think points are the prize? In travel loyalty, status is the real currency - the fast lane, the lounge, the upgrades, and the ease that comes from knowing you’re looked after. In the second episode of our Loyalty Series, we sit down with Erin Murray, CMO of Loyalty Status Co, to explore why many loyalty programs are now more valuable than the airlines that run them and how the smartest brands use status to shape behavior, lift yield, and keep their highest-value travelers loyal.

We follow Erin’s 25-year career across Air Miles, Points, and now Loyalty Status Co to reveal what truly motivates frequent travelers. You’ll hear how Status Lift reduces the need for painful “status runs” by letting near-qualifiers buy up at exactly the right moment. And how Status Match acquires proven high-value flyers the moment a competitor falters. Just look at Air France: after BA’s program changes, they matched 4,000 elites who went on to book 17,000 flights, many in business class. That’s the playbook: spot the moment, validate the traveler, deliver benefits that matter, and watch the revenue follow.

We dig into how personalization is entering a new era. With richer data and AI, brands can detect intent fare shopping, route exploration, requal risk and deliver one-to-one offers that feel timely and relevant. Choice benefits are rising too, giving members flexibility to select what they value most, whether that’s e-upgrades, guest lounge access, or softer thresholds in slower travel years. And of course, co-brand credit cards continue to fuel the commercial engine, turning everyday spend into aspirational trips and steady program revenue. Beyond airlines and hotels, we also look at cruise and casino, two verticals where modern status design can unlock fresh monetization and deeper engagement.

If you lead loyalty, revenue, or partnerships in travel, this conversation is a masterclass in building programs that feel personal, deliver real commercial impact, and keep your most important customers close.

For more information about Loyalty Status Co, please visit https://www.loyaltystatus.com/.

👉 Listen to The New Loyalty Playbook: Global Status Commercialization Now

🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoad

The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.

https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/

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We’re excited to kick off a new three-part Loyalty Series, where we explore how airlines, hotels, and loyalty status companies are rewriting the rules of traveler engagement. In this first episode, we begin with a refreshingly simple philosophy from KM Malta Airlines: make value clear, make status meaningful, and make the journey smoother. Oliver Piers Ross, Head of Loyalty & CRM, joins us to share how a small flag carrier built a transparent currency, introduced genuinely useful status tiers, and used smart partnerships to influence traveler behavior in all the right ways.

We break down Skybucks, pegged at one euro cent so members always know what they’re earning and spending. That clarity powers instant earn on takeoff and a seamless redemption slider in the booking flow so intuitive that redemptions began before the program even launched. Oliver also outlines the Traveler, Explorer, and Pioneer tiers, where milestone Skybucks can be used for seats, bags, or part-paid fares. We touch on the value of status recognition and how tools like status match, subscription boosts, and buybacks reduce friction while maintaining solid program economics.

We discuss why loyalty programs can be worth more than airlines, how redemption simplicity increases conversion, and where KM Malta is headed next with a Malta-wide marketplace, exchange partnerships, and tighter CRM personalization. It’s a practical playbook for travel brands rethinking loyalty with clear value, fewer hoops, better data, and benefits that actually get used. What perk would make you switch airlines today?

For more information about KM Malta Airlines, please visit https://kmmaltairlines.com/en.

👉 Listen to How Airlines are Redefining Loyalty for the Modern Traveler Now

🔥 Special Thanks to our Season 6 Title Sponsors for their Support: Holafly, Propellic, PayCompass, Kaptio, Civitatis and WeRoad

The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds.

https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/